Portland News and Events for Aug. 20- September, 2015

Greater Solid Rock Outreach Ministries Holds Second Annual Family Fun Day

Greater Solid Rock Outreach Ministries will hold its second annual Family Fun Day from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22 at Woodlawn Park, situated at the intersection of NE 13th and Dekum. Activities will include a three-legged race, tug-of-war, a relay race, a coloring contest and a raffle. Food and refreshments will also be available for sale at the event. For more information, contact Shannon Olive, (503) 875-1725.

26 Portland Restaurant Locations to Support Local Senior Program Aug. 25

Nationally, less than three percent of all philanthropic dollars go to support programs for seniors, but on Tuesday, Aug. 25th, twenty-six Portland area restaurants will donate 10 to 20 percent of sales to Store to Door. Store to Door is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing a low-cost, volunteer-based grocery shopping and delivery service for seniors and people with disabilities. The program helps low-income elders maintain their independence, increase their social supports, and access other services that support aging-in-place.

Each year, Store to Door serves 500+ home-bound Oregonians with 7,500+ deliveries, and these numbers will continue to grow.

You can help support Store to Door by dining out at one of the restaurants below on August 25th. To find out more, visit Store to Door’s Facebook page.

City of Vancouver Seeks Applicants For Planning Commission Position

The City of Vancouver is seeking applicants to fill one vacancy on the Planning Commission. The open position is for a four-year term beginning in January 2016. The deadline to submit an application for the position is 5 p.m., Sept. 18.

To apply online, visit www.cityofvancouver.us/boards. To request an application or for more information, contact Alexis Bafus in the City Manager's Office at City Hall, P.O. Box 1995, Vancouver, WA 98668-1995, [email protected] or by calling (360) 487-8607.

The seven-member Planning Commission serves as a volunteer citizen advisory body and makes recommendations to City Council on the comprehensive plan, sub-area plans, zoning and other city land use matters.

The Planning Commission reflects a broad range of neighborhoods, professional and community experience and perspectives and seeks to be representative of the cultural diversity of the Vancouver community. The City is seeking candidates with interest and experience in community planning, urban design or housing development, and who are active in business, neighborhood or community affairs.

Participation in the City's Planning Commission requires a significant time commitment of approximately 15 hours per month. This includes regular attendance at meetings on the second and fourth Tuesdays of each month at City Hall (415 W. 6th St.). Attendance at other sub-committee or City Council meetings may also be required. Commissioners prepare for meetings by reviewing a variety of maps and technical information and making site visits.

Visit www.cityofvancouver.us/pc to learn more about the City's Planning Commission, including access to past meeting minutes and agendas.

Click It or Ticket Traffic Safety Campaign

Officers from the Beaverton Police Department and other law enforcement agencies throughout Oregon will be working the Click it or Ticket Seatbelt Enforcement Campaign that will begin Aug. 24, 2015 and will continue through Sept. 6. The focus of this campaign is seatbelt use, booster seats, distracted driving involving cell phones and speeding. The goal of this campaign is to reduce traffic injuries and deaths by increased education and enforcement.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages one through twelve years old. Child car seats increase crash survival by 71 percent for infants under 1 year old and by up to 59 percent for toddlers aged 1 to 4. Booster seats reduce the chance of nonfatal injury among four- to eight-year-olds by 45 percent compared to safety belts alone.

A child weighing less than 40 pounds must be properly restrained in a child safety seat. A child under one year of age or weighing less than twenty pounds must be restrained in a rear-facing child seat. A child over forty pounds but under age eight or less than 4' 9" tall must be restrained in either a child seat with harness system or in a booster seat that raises the child up so that a lap and shoulder belt system fit correctly.

The Beaverton Police Department holds free child safety seat clinics throughout the year. The next clinic will be on Saturday, September 19, 2015 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Kuni Cadillac collision Center located at 3725 SW Cedar Hills Blvd, Beaverton, OR 97005. The last car will be accepted at 11:30 a.m.

Speeding and driver impairment are the most common causes of injury crashes. Oregon's safety belt overtime enforcement program is committed to reducing the severity of crash injuries by promoting proper safety belt and child restraint use.

Three Flag Blitz campaigns are funded through grants received from the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Arts Commission Announces Small Operating Grant Program

A two-year pilot grant program designed to provide operating support to arts organizations with budgets under $150,000 is now open at the Oregon Arts Commission.

Applications for the first round of funding will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 16, at http://oregon.culturegrants.org/. Eligibility is limited to organizations that have operated as an IRS recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit for two years or more.

Grant awards will fund operating expenses such as administration, facility costs and productions expenses and are restricted to nonprofit organizations operating with a mission that describes the arts as their primary purpose and that provide ongoing arts programming to their community. Grant award amounts will generally range between $1,000 and $3,000.

Application materials and narrative questions are dramatically reduced in comparison to operating support applications for medium and large organizations.
For more information visit http://www.oregonartscommission.org/grants/small-operating-grants or contact Community Arts Coordinator Brian Wagner at (503) 986-0083 or [email protected].

Check the Community Calendar for more Portland and Seattle area events.